OTTAWA – Rogers Cable has asked the CRTC for permission to offer satellite radio services Sirius Canada and XM Canada to its digital cable customers.
Rogers requires a license amendment to add the new audio products to its channel lineups in all of its systems in Canada.
"The licensee proposes to amend its licences to authorize these cable systems to distribute one or both of the audio programming services offered by Canada’s two satellite subscription radio undertakings," says the Rogers application.
"Rogers also considered that the addition of one or both of these services to its digital offering would…
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OTTAWA – The new Federal Cabinet wants the CRTC to revisit last year’s voice over Internet protocol decision.
As reported on numerous occasions by www.cartt.ca, the CRTC decided last year to maintain its position that voice, even delivered via IP, is still telephone service. What that meant was that incumbent telcos still faced some regulatory shackles (like having to file for tariffs) while newcomers, such as cable operators or VOIP providers like Vonage would have a freer hand.
Canada’s ILECs – most of them anyway – appealed the decision.
In governmentspeak: "The Governor in Council (GIC) has referred…
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OTTAWA – The new Federal Cabinet wants the CRTC to revisit last year’s voice over Internet protocol decision.
As reported on numerous occasions by www.cartt.ca, the CRTC decided last year to maintain its position that voice, even delivered via IP, is still telephone service. What that meant was that incumbent telcos still faced some regulatory shackles while newcomers, such as cable operators or VOIP providers like Vonage would have a freer hand.
Canada’s ILECs – most of them anyway – appealed the decision.
In governmentspeak: "The Governor in Council (GIC) has referred the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC’s)…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada Enterprises’ growth platforms – wireless, video and high speed Internet – make up almost half of the company’s revenue these days and will hit 55% by the end of the year, the company announced today.
Facing "a significant step up," in wireline customer losses, said CEO Michael Sabia in a conference call with financial analysts this morning, revenues in the first quarter, ended March 31, 2006, still rose by 2.2% to $4.7 billion.
Those losses, say company executives, reveal a competitive market that the CRTC mis-read with its recent local forbearance decision – one…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Profits at Canada’s private radio stations jumped 23.8% in 2005, says new data released today by the CRTC, just in time for the Radio Policy Review, which will begin on May 15th.
Revenues for Canadian radio stations in 2005 increased by 8.7% over 2004 to $1.3 billion, while profits before interest and taxes (PBIT) jumped to nearly $277 million dollars in 2005. "These growth rates exceeded the average rates recorded over the last five years, during which revenues increased at an average rate of 5.7%, and PBIT at 12.8%," says the release.
Of course, FM led the…
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OTTAWA – The first annual report to the CRTC by the CAB on the progress made by broadcasters to ensure diversity in broadcasting was announced today.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ report, filed April 28th, describes initiatives taken on matters of cultural diversity, as well as those concerning the presence, portrayal and participation of persons with disabilities in broadcasting.
“Over the past year, the CAB has made significant progress in developing and launching a wide range of initiatives and activities to help foster diversity in broadcasting,” said CAB president and CEO, Glenn O’Farrell. “Canada’s private broadcasters are committed to…
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WINNIPEG – EBITDA and free cash flow grew during the first quarter of 2006 at Manitoba Telecom Services even though overall revenue declined, the company announced Tuesday.
Revenues were $488.8 million in the quarter ended March 31 (down from $495.1 million in Q1 2005), EBITDA increased by 4.1% to $165.7 million and free cash flow was 6.9% higher at $69.3 million. Major highlights included: Next generation data connectivity revenues climbed by 54%; Wireless revenues grew by 13.3%; Digital television revenues increased by 48.9%; Wireless customers increased by 11.5%; Digital television customers increased by 46.3%; High-speed Internet customers grew by 19.1%….
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OTTAWA – Last week, the CRTC made public its work plan from now through 2009.
Click here to review the rather massive amount of work facing the Commission and its staff.
"Major developments are taking place in broadcasting and telecommunications, which need to be factored into our decision-making as we pursue our mandate under the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts," said CRTC chairman Charles Dalfen, in a statement.
"In telecommunications, technological advances are enabling competition to take hold. It is our aim to continue to move towards deregulation throughout the telecommunications sector so that market forces may prevail, while…
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CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – The CRTC needs fining power to make sure telecom companies abide by the rules, chairman Charles Dalfen told the 2006 Telecommunications Invitational Forum on Sunday.
In a speech that was in large part an answer to the Telecom Policy Review report filed in March. Dalfen said the Commission is digesting the report, filed in March, and will soon implement many of its recommendations.
As well, "(w)e will also be striking a working group with the Competition Bureau to develop recommendations on how the Canadian telecom sector can more effectively benefit from the expertise resident in…
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NEW YORK – There are too many tariffs and too many changes going on in the digital world for the existing copyright and tariff regime to continue in its current form, says Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell.
In a speech last week during a conference on international intellectual property law and policy at Fordham University in New York, O’Farrell looked to 1926 – at the CAB’s first meeting 80 years ago in Toronto – where copyright was the main reason for the group’s initial gathering.
A consensus between broadcasters and creators was arrived at then…
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